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Android leads markets worldwide, Nexus 4 boosts LG’s UK market share

With the year’s first fiscal quarter wrapped up less than 48 hours ago, you’d think it’s not yet time to look at market shares or analyze sales numbers. But while manufacturers will only reveal their financial reports in a couple of weeks or so, Kantar Worldpanel ComTech already has some interesting surveys for us.

The first one, which we broke down yesterday, confirmed Android’s growing trend in the US and showed exactly how big of a gap there was between T-Mobile and the leading three American carriers on the eve of the “Uncarrier era”.

As for the second Kantar report, this focuses on smartphone sales by operating system in UK, as well as other important global markets. Much to our delight, the data compiled by the market research firm shows Android has the upper hand against iOS all across the world, from London to Berlin and from Sydney to Beijing.

Even more delightful, the gap between first and second place is all around wider than in the US. And the icing on the cake is that Android has seen a boost in sales everywhere, unlike Apple, who’s had progress in some markets, while in others… not so much.

But let’s get down to the actual numbers, shall we? Starting with GB, where Android’s sales market share in the three months leading to February 2013 has been 58.3%, up 10 full points compared with the same period last year.

Meanwhile, iOS has only grown 0.1%, from 28.9% to 29%. Windows has snatched the British bronze medal from RIM BlackBerry, despite what analysts have described as encouraging initial sales of BB’s Z10.

The status quo is similar in the other two major European countries surveyed by Kantar – Germany and Italy. Only Germans seem to love Android even more, as the market share has grown from 58.8% to a whopping 71%.

Apple is the distant second around those parts, with 18.7% (down almost three points), while in Italy the gap is much narrower, but still comfortable – 57.1% vs. 23.1%. Windows seems to be most popular in “the boot”, where it holds a steady 13.1% market share.

Moving across oceans and deserts, we arrive in Australia, where Android remains the unchallenged champion, with a 61.4% share, up 3.6% year-on-year. iOS is second, with 32.5% (up 0.6%), while Windows is third, with a measly 3.4% share.

Android has seen its biggest growth in Mexico, where the market share has more than doubled in the past year, from 25.9% to an incredible 55.8%. iOS doesn’t even have a place on the podium here, being beaten to the punch by both BlackBerry and Symbian (?!?).

Finally, Android’s share in urban China is impressive as well (68.7%), while iOS places second with 25.8%.

Getting back to the UK for a second, we have to award LG with an honorable mention for leaping from a 0.3% market share in the three months to February 2012 to 4.3% a year later. That’s “almost solely” due to strong Nexus 4 sales, which is incredibly impressive given how hard it has been to score one of those in the recent past.

This kind of bump has to make you wonder if the February N4 sales estimates were accurate. According to those, the phone sold in 1 million units globally. Our guess? Not even close.

Despite the impressive growth, LG can’t reach the podium in UK sales. Samsung remains top dog, with 36.2% of the pie, Apple is second, with 29%, while HTC is third, with an on the rise 9.1% share owed to the One X+ and the Windows-based 8S.

So how about all these numbers, folks? Should they give Apple the heebie-jeebies? Should Google and Samsung pop up the champagne? How about LG, is that 4% boost in the UK a cause for celebration?